2017 Editions

As we approach our two-year anniversary of Northeast Ohio Boomer & Beyond, we have much to celebrate, much to be thankful for and much to tell you about toward the future …

Thanksgiving — a Bit Early

First off, a big shout-out to you, our readers — our faithful followers — for embracing this new magazine concept dedicated to “Better Living After 50” for Greater Clevelanders. You continually affirm that we are on the right track with Boomer & Beyond through your encouraging comments and “sold out” copies. By now you’re certainly wise enough to know that the best things in life are free.

A huge thank you goes out to our advertisers who have trusted in Boomer to deliver a powerful audience of intelligent, mature consumers. Our aim is to be a conduit for you to connect with passionate readers in a credible, often maligned but treasured medium — the printed magazine.

Many thanks to the Boomer Editorial Advisory Board for helping steer this ship in the right direction from the earliest planning stages to this — our largest issue to date.

Thanks to an incredibly dedicated, talented staff who have nurtured Boomer from birth to maturity with blood, sweat and tears.

What’s Ahead?

In the coming weeks, our e-newsletter will launch with engaging and timely stories that will link you to our website where a host of other information, resources and features are available. With our continued plan to stay with a bi-monthly publishing schedule for the magazine, our website, e-newsletter and Facebook platforms will continue to grow as a source of information and entertainment.

We’ve heard from many of our readers that you’re looking for fun, lively events with music and other entertainment for “your crowd.” We’ve listened, and we believe you will find what you’re looking for at our first Boomer Bash event coming this fall.

We celebrate grandparents and grandkids in this issue, and it sounds like a lot of fun — at least that’s the word from friends who have them.

What’s fun for me right now is not raising kids. I liked raising kids when I was doing it, and most days I was good at it. But I don’t miss the pressure, especially at this time of the year. Autumn kicks off the kid-centric holiday triad of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, amplified by a force I never faced: Pinterest.

I feel for today’s parents. The website for creative and, seemingly, insomniac high achievers makes every birthday and holiday celebration an EVENT. I’ve seen the pins (favorite items) on Pinterest, and they make me anxious. We all know that parenting is a competition; Pinterest is the equivalent of a steroid booster. Everything’s bigger, better and less attainable.

In the early ’90s, someone gave me a box of Halloween outfits, and my kids wore those for a few years. Then, you couldn’t buy a cute Halloween costume for $20 bucks like today. Eventually, I tackled the job on my own with limited success. I inexpertly smeared mascara across “pirate” eyebrows and globs of lipstick on “fairy” cheeks. My kids looked like they were dressed out of the church donation box with a side trip to Sephora’s clearance aisle.

Worse was the 1960s, and now that I think about it, Halloween costume fails may be an inherited trait.

Mom had a lot of talents, but designing creative Halloween getups wasn’t one of them. An early childhood memory is when I showed up at Akron’s Rankin Elementary for the kindergarten Halloween parade wearing a store-bought princess costume with a plastic mask.

Mom apparently didn’t succumb to or didn’t care about the holiday pressure to create. She was raising my two younger brothers while dad worked nights at the Akron Beacon Journal.

Antiques and Collectibles

By Breanna Mona

What’s your attic’s net worth? Fighting off cobwebs and furry little critters is tough enough. Figuring out which mysterious trinkets are worth a pretty penny and what’s simply a hunk of junk is even tougher. You don’t need to appear on “Antiques Roadshow” to get to the bottom of it. Here’s the word from local antique experts.

Over It

Hummel, Royal Doulton, Precious Moments, Lladro — these names used to mean big bucks. But these days, most collectible figurines have lost their bite in the antique business. While still very collectible and worth something, they’re just not the money-makers they used to be. Hummels are a good example.

Jean Koepke, the owner of the Medina Antique Mall, says rarity counts, but the value has still declined.

“If they paid $150 for it, now they may only get $50,” she says.

Ryan Prpic — who manages Eastside Relics in Willoughby — agrees. He says a Royal Doulton figurine bought for $100 may only be worth around $40 today.

Why the decline? Pat Martin, owner of Antiques on the Square in Chardon, explains.

“The antique business changes so dramatically year after year — especially in the last 10 to 15 years,” Martin says. “Millennials want different things. They don’t collect like my generation did. Millennials look for functional pieces. They love repurposed antiques. They like painted furniture, etc.”

Other items Millennials are quick to pitch are pottery, china and glassware. Martin says there’s been at least a 50 percent drop in value — if not more — in these pieces.

What’s Hot Now

Which items are getting all the action across all generations? Furniture. Koepke says Hitchcock furniture is particularly sought after because it’s no longer made.

“It’s very popular and hard to find.

Ask the Orthopedist

By REUBEN GOBEZIE, MD

QUESTION

Is it possible to have shoulder replacement surgery as an outpatient procedure?

ANSWER

Yes. Orthopedic surgeons who specialize in shoulder surgery are now providing patients with the outpatient option when it applies to their condition. People love the outpatient experience and recover better when they are at home.

When provided by a specialist, the surgery may only take 35 minutes in a highly controlled environment and results in little blood loss. The less time that you are under anesthesia, the better the recovery. There is less risk of infection, increased patient satisfaction and higher quality outcomes based on function and pain with a home recovery. Patients walk out with their arm in a sling and are home the same day.

In the weeks leading up to surgery, each patient and their caregiver should be provided with educational information and a prescription for physical therapy. For example, our practice offers a series of physical therapy videos that patients study before the surgery and work on at home post-surgery. The videos illustrate the exercises, and the education offers very specific goals that each patient needs to meet to recover faster.

The outpatient surgery and home rehabilitation option saves patients considerable time and money. Most patients are able to use their arm enough to care for themselves within a week after the procedure. After three months of follow-up appointments, the patient no longer requires office visits, but the atrophy from the initial injury could take up to a year to fully improve.

While a large percentage of patients are candidates for outpatient shoulder surgery, it’s not for everyone. Patients with complicated medical histories may not qualify. Each patient should be carefully examined to determine the procedure that will work best for them.

All shoulder conditions should be evaluated by a shoulder specialist with a thorough history and physical examination including imaging studies.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term disease that leads to inflammation of the joints and surrounding tissues. It also can affect other organs.

The cause of RA is unknown. It is an autoimmune disease, which means the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. RA can occur at any age but is more common in middle age. Women get RA more often than men.

Infection, vaccination, genes, a refined food diet and hormone changes may be linked to the disease.

RA usually affects joints on both sides of the body equally. Wrists, fingers, knees, feet and ankles are the most commonly affected. The disease often begins slowly, usually with only minor joint pain, stiffness and fatigue.

Do I Have RA?

RA symptoms include morning stiffness that lasts more than one hour. Joints may feel warm, tender and stiff when not used for an hour. Joint pain is often felt on the same joint on both sides of the body.

Over time, joints may lose their range of motion and become deformed.

The usual medical advice given to people with RA is to exercise to decrease pain and to feel more energetic, although this hardly seems possible to someone suffering wfromRA.

It is true that inactivity decreases joint motion and flexibility. Inactivity also can lead to weak muscles and deformed joints. Regular exercise helps reverse joint stiffness, builds muscle and boosts overall fitness.

With regular exercise, you can be stronger with less fatigue despite this disease. Here is the key: RA patients need to do the right type of exercise, not simply more exercise.

Exercise Know-How

Exercise should be discussed as a dosage, just like medicine. The right amount of exercise for someone with RA can be life changing. The wrong dose could easily leave the sufferer worse off.

For many people, the exercise that provides the most benefit is machine-based strength training done with extreme control.

If you’ve turned 65 or are getting close to it, you’re likely swamped with information about Medicare plan options such as prescription drug plans, supplemental health insurance policies and Medicare Advantage plans.

Some folks may enjoy the challenge of figuring out the process of choosing health insurance coverage. After all, it’s important to choose the right coverage for your needs. However, if you’re not one of them, consider an appointment with a licensed sales agent who can help you navigate through the various options and help you get the right coverage for your health care needs.

Finding a Fit

Brokers (or agents) are licensed by the state and undergo annual required training and testing by the plans they sell.

There’s no cost for the service offered by a licensed sales agent because the agent is paid a commission by the private insurance carrier based on your enrollment in the plan.

 Consider meeting with an agent before you turn 65 so you can anticipate costs and coverage. Caregivers or family members who are helping make these decisions can participate in the meeting, too.

A licensed sales agent assures that your enrollment application gets properly completed, follows up with the carrier to ensure timely processing, and provides notification of your enrollment status.

The agent also will research prescription drug plans (PDP) because each has a list of covered drugs. An agent can help determine if your drugs are covered,  the co-pays associated with a plan and which plans to offer the best benefits for your situation.

In addition, the sales agent also verifies that your doctors, hospitals and other medical providers are in-network. This is an important step before selecting a plan because many Medicare plans have a network of doctors that they use.

An agent follows up annually to discuss changes to your medical needs, to discuss any upcoming changes to your current policy, and to provide updates on the health insurance industry.